Doo doo doo down doo be do down down/Come a come a down doo be do down down… One year before “Da Doo Ron Ron,” eleven before “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” and eighteen before “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield taught the world that “Breakin’ Up is Hard to Do” with their immortal wordless refrain. Sedaka went on to become the king of the “Tra-la-las” and “shoo-be-doos” with his early rock-and-roll records, and the Juilliard-trained musician was one of the
A Small Morsel of Live Dead Coming from Rhino
Was the insanely large Europe '72 box set from The Grateful Dead (which should be making its way to fans pretty soon) too much for you? Rhino's breaking off a little piece for you in the form of Europe '72 Volume 2, a double-disc set compiled from those 22 legendary shows. This sequel to the original triple-LP has 20 remastered performances from those wild shows on two discs, mixed from the original 16-track recordings by Dead archival mixer Jeffrey Norman and mastered by David Glasser to HDCD
Smells Like More Details on 20th Anniversary "Nevermind" (UPDATED WITH TRACK LIST)
UPDATE: The track listing is now at the bottom of the post, courtesy of the NME! Original post: Back on June 22, we reported on Geffen Records/Universal Music Enterprises' plans for a 20th anniversary edition of Nirvana's 1991 Nevermind, originally released on September 24 of that year. New details have been released on the set which will arrive in stores on September 27, just three days after the exact anniversary. Universal has stopped short of providing a complete track listing, but one
Harrison and Shankar's "Concert For Bangladesh" Goes Digital
“It was such a unique thing. Everybody was so moved and touched. It had a special feeling apart from just a performance. Overnight everybody knew the name of Bangladesh all over the world.” So said Ravi Shankar about The Concert For Bangladesh, the 1971 performances he organized with George Harrison at New York’s Madison Square Garden that set the standard for all-star benefits to come. Monday, August 1, marks the 40th anniversary of The Concert, and in commemoration, Apple and EMI have
Miles Ahead: Legacy Launches "Bootleg Series" For Davis
Move over, Bob Dylan. Another legendary Columbia Records artist just a couple of spaces over on the CD shelf is receiving the Bootleg Series treatment with the September 20 release of The Miles Davis Quintet – Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Volume 1. And this release looks every inch as lavish and essential as the releases in Dylan’s similarly titled, long-running series. It’s drawn from original state-owned television and radio sources in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and
BGP Mines Moulton's "Disco Gold" On Scepter
Long before there was a disco inferno, the genre was finding its footing in the clubs of New York in the early 1970s as a reaction to the ascendancy of heavy rock and the marginalization of dance music. Those early, heady days of disco are being chronicled by the U.K.’s BGP label (part of the Ace Records family) with the August 29 reissue of the seminal 1975 compilation Disco Gold. Those only familiar with Scepter Records from the sweet soul of The Shirelles, Dionne Warwick and Maxine Brown
Sky High: Two Classic Albums By Tavares Are Reissued and Expanded
Tucked away on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack between Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven” and David Shire’s “Manhattan Skyline” is where you’ll find “More Than a Woman” by Tavares. Although the Bee Gees’ version of their own song remains a radio staple today, it was in fact Tavares’ version that was released as a single, hitting No. 32 in the United States and No. 7 across the pond. But that essential track is just one of the famous songs popularized by Tavares. The band of five
Back Tracks: CHIC
It's a crime that when you talk about CHIC, many of the players who made up arguably the greatest band of the disco era aren't alive to hear your words of praise. Bernard Edwards, CHIC's bassist and co-producer, died in 1997; drummer Tony Thompson passed away in 2003. Nile Rodgers, guitarist, co-producer and keeper of the CHIC flame, could easily have met the same early fate had he not been lucky enough to discover the cancer that he's been since late last year. (Rodgers, one of the best users
Ease On Down For Hip-o's New Stephanie Mills Anthology
Stephanie Mills' very first LP was titled Movin' in the Right Direction. And although the 1975 LP on the ABC-Paramount label didn't launch her career as a recording artist with a bang, its title was certainly apt. A few years later, the label would be 20th Century Fox instead of Paramount, and Mills would skyrocket to superstardom in the disco era. Her hitmaking records for 20th Century Fox Records are being compiled by Hip-o Select for the August 23 release of Feel the Fire: The 20th Century
Armstrong, Fitzgerald, Peterson Featured on Hip-o's Expanded "Hollywood Bowl"
The names of the greatest producers in jazz history still resonate today. The likes of Orrin Keepnews, Creed Taylor and Norman Granz (to name a mere three) all pioneered production and promotion styles that made their releases both identifable and enduring. Next week will see the release on Hip-o Select of a major project by that third-named gentleman. Granz (1918-2001) founded five record labels in his lifetime, but none more renowned than Verve. That label was created by Granz in 1956, and
George Harrison Film "Living in the Material World" To Premiere This Fall; CD Promised With DVD/BD Combo Pack
George Harrison famously titled his 1973 album Living in the Material World, and as the follow up to his All Things Must Pass, the former Beatle chronicled his ongoing exploration to define himself on both the physical and spiritual plains. But now that title (also a song on the album) takes on a new resonance as the name selected for Martin Scorsese's much-anticipated documentary on the life of Harrison. Living in the Material World has been confirmed for release this autumn, and it will
Cash, Buffett Kickstart Their Way to Vinyl Reissues
A while back, The Second Disc reported on a reissue of a power-pop record, Cotton Mather's Kon-Tiki, financed entirely through Kickstarter. It was a considerable success, certainly enough to make one think about the viability of using the project-funding website to eke out a niche in the big-enough world of music reissues. Now, there's another reissue-heavy project from another label hitting the site, and it's certainly cool enough to merit a mention over here. 180 Gram Records, an audiophile
Reissue Theory: Live Aid on CD
Twenty-six years ago today, on two different continents, the music world came together for a worthy cause: to raise awareness of famine in Ethiopia. Live Aid, a pair of concerts organized by Bob Geldof in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985 and broadcasted live on the BBC, ABC and MTV, was seen in person by some 172,000 people and on television by nearly 2 billion across the globe. And, if you can believe it, none of it has ever been released on LP or CD. Granted, it's not entirely
Soundtrack Round-Up: Reissues and Premieres from Varese, Intrada and More
Why should La-La Land and Intrada/Disney have all the fun? We've got five new soundtrack catalogue titles for your perusal from Varese Sarabande, Intrada and BSX Records. The wares range from the golden age of film composition (with two heavyweights of the film score world collaborating on a special score restored as a strictly limited title) to an underrated gem of a horror soundtrack from last year. Varese Sarabande released two intriguing limited edition titles for release in the wee hours
Nick Lowe Welcomes You To "Kippington Lodge"
Before he taught us that it was cruel to be kind, and even before he first wondered “what’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding?,” Nick Lowe was one fourth of the groovy lite psych-pop outfit by the name of Kippington Lodge. The group, however, was short-lived, and morphed into pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, folk/country/rockabilly revivalists. Cherry Red’s RPM label is now giving fans the chance to listen to the complete recorded output of Kippington Lodge for a window into
New Links in the Chain: Deluxe 2-CD/1-DVD Sets Coming from The Jesus and Mary Chain (UPDATED)
Few album titles have been more apt than the Jesus and Mary Chain's 1985 LP debut, Psychocandy. The record took deceptively simple pop songs, influenced by the melodies of Phil Spector and Brian Wilson, and cloaked them in a noisy, fuzz-and-feedback-laden haze that took the darkness of The Velvet Underground one step further. If the group didn't exist, someone would have had to invent it. William and Jim Reid, two Scottish brothers, formed the core of the band, initially joined by bassist
Whole Hall and Oates: Famed Duo's Complete Atlantic Years Collected
Daryl Hall and John Oates made their first significant dent on the pop charts with 1976's "Sara Smile," released on RCA Records. "Rich Girl" followed as their first No. 1 single in 1977, and a few short years later, they were proclaimed the most successful duo in rock history thanks to an amazing string of ubiquitous pop singles: "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," "Maneater," "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" and so on. But those who only know Hall and Oates from those remarkable 1980s
Some Kind Of Wonderful: Carole King's "Music" Set For SACD and LP Release
Fronting a band called The City in 1968, Carole King titled her first full-length LP Now That Everything's Been Said. Thankfully, King actually had much, much more to say. She began her solo career, proper, in 1970 with Writer, and had the breakthrough the following year with Tapestry. But how to follow an album that spawns three number one pop hits and wins four Grammy Awards, not to mention igniting the entire female singer/songwriter movement? King wasted no time, and less than one year
Benson, Hubbard, Turrentine On June Slate From CTI Masterworks
Earlier this year, Universal and Hip-o Select released a bold orange box set containing the first 6 LPs on the Impulse! label, all of which were produced by Creed Taylor. The ambitious producer didn't stay long at Impulse!, however, departing for the greener pastures of Verve, then A&M, where he founded his CTI label. Following a highly successful series of CTI albums under the A&M imprimatur, Taylor's mini-kingdom went the independent route and along the way practically defined the
Reissue Theory: Bette Midler, "The Divine Miss M"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look at notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. Long before "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "From a Distance," Bette Midler was blazing a path like few others before or since with her blend of outrageous comedy, musical invention and pure showmanship. Yet despite a treasure trove of unreleased material, Midler's platinum debut, The Divine Miss M, has never been expanded on CD. What might such a reissue be
ICON and On and On
UPDATE 6/20: With a day before these sets are to hit stores, here's the post with the track list for the one compilation that hadn't been confirmed at the time - an incredibly slight collection for Steve Winwood. Just Steve Winwood. Not Traffic or anything else. Make of that what you will. Original post: The latest batch of ICON titles hasn't even hit stores yet, but yet another assortment of them has been announced for release next month. While, as always, there's not much in the way of
Review: Paul Simon, "Live Rhymin'" and Expanded, Remastered Studio Works (1972-1975)
Paul Simon may have titled his latest studio album So Beautiful or So What, but the same name could apply to his catalogue relaunch at Legacy Recordings. So Beautiful has been hailed as a return to form for Simon, writing with a guitar for the first time in many years. A timely reminder of that form and of the style Simon both recalls and updates on the new disc can be rediscovered on these four reissued titles. Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, Live Rhymin’ and Still Crazy After All
Review: Paul McCartney, "The Paul McCartney Archive Collection: McCartney and McCartney II"
Paul McCartney is still on the run, as his just-announced concert tour of the same name attests. But one thing the former Beatle doesn’t have to run from is his own legacy. Last year he inaugurated The Paul McCartney Archive Collection with his 1973 Band on the Run, making the title available in multiple platforms and prices. The next two releases in the non-chronological series have just arrived, and though the formats are slightly tweaked, the same hallmark of quality is evident on the
James Taylor's "Flag" and "Dad Loves His Work" Due On SACD
In 1977, James Taylor jumped ship from Warner Bros. Records, his home between 1970 and 1976, for the greener pastures of Columbia. His longtime producer Peter Asher joined him, and JT marked their first effort at the new label. Taylor was rapidly rewarded, as JT spawned the hit singles "Your Smiling Face" and "Handy Man," the latter of which snagged the singer a Grammy Award. It was his highest-charting album since 1971's Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, but Taylor took his time for a
Tony Bennett's Improv Years Revisited By Concord For Crooner's 85th Birthday
In 1975, Tony Bennett was without a record label and at a crossroads. He had turned down numerous entreaties to return to Columbia Records, the label that launched him to stardom in 1950 but refused to give him the creative freedom he deserved. (See our special feature on Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today for more on that!) He had finished a two-album tenure at MGM Records and felt the time was right to strike out on his own. And so Improv Records was born. And although the label only
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